Electric portable lamp and lamp socket assembly



P 1953 G. B. BENANDER 2,652,485

ELECTRIC PORTABLE LAMP AND LAMP SOCKET ASSEMBLY 7 Filed Aug. 50, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 15, 1953 G. B. BENANDER ELECTRIC PORTABLE LAMP AND LAMP SOCKET ASSEMBLY EiledAu so, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inerwtor: George B. Benand 1% Attornfi Patented Sept. 15, 1953 NHTED SATES 15::

QFFECE ELECTRIC PORTABLE LAMP AND LAMP SOCKET ASSEMBLY Application August 30, 1950, Serial No. 182,243

2 Claims.

This invention relates to electric lamp structures which are particularly useful for domestic lighting, for instance, such as portable table lamps.

In the manufacture of small size portable lamps, decorative lamp bodies are often employed which are used in the manufacture of completed lamps by lamp manufacturers who generally do not manufacture their own electrical components, such as sockets, switches, cords, plugs, etc. These electrical components are purchased from an electrical manufacturer and assembled with the decorative lamp body to produce a completed lamp. The assembly and electrical connections of these various components in the course of assembly of the completed lamp is a relatively costly job for the lamp manufacturer as compared to the mass production electrical assembly and wiring operation which is possible if the electrical manufacturer preassembles and wires all of the electrical compo nents.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an electric lamp and lamp socket assembly in which the lamp socket assembly, including all of the electrical components for the electric lamp, may be preassembled by the electrical manufacturer, the lamp socket assembly then being adapted to be quickly and easily secured to a decorative non-electrical lamp body by a lamp manufacturer to complete a lamp without necessity for further electrical assembly and connections by the lamp manufacturer.

In the manufacture of small electric lamps of the above description, it is frequently the practice to fasten the lamp socket to the lamp body by means of a small steel pipe which passes through the center of the lamp base, the socket being threaded onto the upper end of the pipe and a fastening nut being threaded onto the lower end of the pipe. The lamp cord extends from the interior of the socket down through the center of the pipe and, thus, out through a suitable opening in the base of the lamp. This lamp structure is generally satisfactory; however, it is desirable in such a competitive business as this to reduce the cost wherever possible without reducing the quality, and the steel pipe is a relatively heavy and expensive component. The steel pipe structure also has the disadvantage of a tendency for the nut at the bottom of the lamp base to loosen, causing unexpected and unwanted disassembly of the lamp.

It is, therefore, a further object of this invention to provide a more economical lamp struc- 2 ture which may be quickly, easily, and inexpem sively assembled.

A further object of this invention is to provide such a lamp structure which eliminates the use of threaded fastenings which are likely to loosen and cause unwanted disassembly.

For a better and more complete understanding of this invention, reference should be had to the following specification and accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a partially sectionaliz-ed and foreshortened side view of an electric lamp incorporating this invention; Fig. 2 is a partial top view through the section 2--2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a partial side view of an alternative lamp structure; Figs. 4 and 5 are partial bottom views of the lamp base showing two alternative lamp base structures; Fig. 6 is a side View of another alternative lamp structure; Figs. '7 and 8 are detail views of portions of the alternative structure of Fig. 6; and Figs. 9 and 10 are partial side views of two additional alternative lamp structures.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, there is shown an electric lamp indicated generally at i if which includes a lamp socket assembly 2 and a lamp body 3. The lamp body 3 comprises a base plate to. and a tubular standard 3b having a flat top wall 3c. The lamp socket assembly 2 may include a lamp socket body 63 having a conventional screw threaded opening (not shown) at the upper portion 5 thereof for the reception of a standard screw base electric lamp bulb. A switch of conventional structure may also be provided having an operating knob 6. Socket body portion i is provided with protrusions l and 8 on. opposite sides of the socket body having openings for the reception of the ends of a harp 9 which is provided for the support of a lamp shade at a point above the lamp bulb. The socket body t may be formed of two longitudinal halves split in a plane through the centers of protrusions i and. 8. U-shaped metallic clips la and 80!, may be respectively assembled around protrusions i and 3 to assist in holding the halves together.

The lamp socket assembly includes a resilient tension spring it which is fastened into a suitable threaded opening 12 in the lower portion of socket body 4. As is seen from the drawing, the spring i I extends down through standard 312 and includes a straight extension it having a hook id at its lower terminal end. The hook it is attached, as shown, to a suitable lip 15 at the edge of a main bottom opening it in the lamp base 3a. By means of this attachment of hook M, the spring H is tensioned, holding the socket body 4 in tight permanent engagement with top wall 30.

The lamp socket assembly 2 also includes a lamp cord [1 which extends from the interior of socket body 4, through the tension spring H, through the center of standard 3b and base opening l6, terminating in a conventional connector plug [8 which is of the compact flat type.

The entire lamp socket assembly 2 may be conveniently and economically assembled by an electrical manufacturer employing mass production assembly line methods. The harp 9 may be shipped disassembled, of course, and easil assembled when the lamp isv finally set up for use with a bulb and a shade. The electrical manufacturer may ship the complete lamp socket assembly to the lamp manufacturer who may manufacture or purchase the lamp body 3. The lamp manufacturer may easily and quickly combine the lamp socket assembly with the lamp body 3 by threading the plug IS, the lamp cord H, the hook Id, and spring ll through the center opening in body 3, and attaching the hook l4 over the lip i5 at the bottom of the lamp body to form a completed lamp. The mass produced lamp socket assembly can obviously be employed in the production of many different styles of lamps having different lamp bod structures 3 and produced and marketed by many different independent lamp manufacturers.

The portion of top wall 30 which directly supports the socket body A, may be conveniently manufactured as a separate bushing l9 to reduce the size of the central opening at the top of the lamp body 3. Fig. 2 is a partial top view through section 22 showing an elongated center opening 2c in bushing I9 which is just large enough and or proper proportions easily to permit passage of the connection plug l8 as the lamp socket assembly is combined with the lamp body to form the completed lamp. It will be obvious, of course, that the bushing It} may be made integral with the socket body 4, further reducing the num ber of parts required to be supplied and assembled by the lamp manufacturer. Such an alternative combined structure is shown in the detailed view of Fig. 3.

In Fig. 4, there is shown a partial bottom view of the lamp of Fig. 1 showing the configuration of the opening it at the base of lamp body 3. This opening may be of the same size and configuration as opening 28 in bushing l9, namely, just large enough to permit the passage of connector plug H3. The lip 25 for the connection of hook M may be formed simply by a small opening 2! adjacent the larger opening l6 for the reception of the end of the hook. There are a number of alternatives to the structure shown in Fig. 4, the only requirements being that opening it be large enough for the passage of connector plug l8 and that a lip l5 be provided in some manner. One such alternative structure is disclosed in Fig, 5, where the opening I6 is shown to be circular, with the lip 15 for fastening the hook M extending completely around this circle by provision of a concentric slot 22. This permits the hook M to be fastened at any point around the circumference of the opening i i.

In Fig. 6, there is shown another alternative lamp socket assembly construction in which the threads in the bottom socket opening [2 have been eliminated and the tension spring II is fastened to the socket body 4 by means of a metal clip 23 which is attached by means of ears 24 which fit into suitable openings in the sides of the socket body 4. In this construction, the upper end of the spring ll terminates in several enlarged coil portions which may be threaded through a central opening 25 in clip 23 to secure the spring to the clip. The lower coils of spring II are of a diameter slightly smaller than the opening 25. This construction provides excellent alignment between tension spring H and socket body 4. Clip 23 is shown in detail in the perspective view of Fig. '7. The clip is there shown to have two downwardly extending legs 26. These legs are for the purpose of maintaining the socket body properly positioned within the opening 28 in collar l9. This positioning action is clearly shown in Fig. 8 which is a partial sectional view of the socket structure of Fig. 6 rotated In Fig. 9 there is shown another alternative construction in which the coils of spring II are of uniform diameter, but the opening 25 is of a diameter smaller than the spring diameter so that spring H may be threaded into opening 25 and thus held firmly to socket body 4.

Fig. 10 shows a further modification in which the opening 25 in clip 23 is provided with an upwardly extending lip 28 to which a hooked upper end 29 of spring II is connected to fasten the tension spring ll to the socket bod 4 in a very simple manner.

It will be seen from the above description that the electric lamp and lamp socket assembly of this invention, as described in connection with the above lamp structures, provides an improved electric lamp which is characterized by ease and economy in assembly and manufacture and which is simpler and better than prior lamp structures, fully achieving the objects of the invention set forth above.

While the above invention has been described in connection with a particular lamp structure, it will be understood that various modifications and changes will occur to those who are skilled in the art and the appended claims are, therefore, intended to cover any such modifications within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In an electric portable lamp, a lamp body comprising a base plate having a base opening and a tubular standard having a top wall with an opening aligned with said base opening, and a pre-assembled electric lamp socket assembly mounted thereon comprising a lamp socket having a bottom wall positioned against said top wall provided with a wiring opening in alignment with said top wall opening, a coiled spring fastened in said wiring opening which projects down through said top wall opening and at its lower end is detachably connected to said base plate, said spring being of a length compared to the length of said standard that when attached to the base plate it is tensioned to hold said lamp socket against said top wall, an electric cord attached to said lamp socket which extends through said wiring opening, said spring and said base plate opening, and an attachment plug cap fixed on the end of said cord, the opening through said top wall being smaller than the lamp socket bottom wall and larger than the diameter of said coiled spring and said plug cap, and said base plate opening being larger than the plug cap whereby said preassembled electric lamp socket assembly may be attached to the lamp body by passing the plug cap and the coiled spring through said top wall opening and said plug cap through said base plate opening and attaching the end of the coiled spring to the base plate.

2. A pre-assembled electric lamp socket assembly for use with a lamp body comprising a base plate havin an opening therein and a tubular standard on the base plate having a top wall with an opening therein aligned with said base plate opening, said assembly comprising a lamp socket having a base provided with a wiring opening, a coiled spring having one end fixed in said wiring opening, an electric cord connected to said lamp socket and extending through said wiring opening and said coiled spring, and a plug cap connected to the end of said cord, said lamp socket base being larger and said coiled spring and said plug cap being smaller than the opening in the top wall of the lamp body with which the assembly is to be used, said plug cap being smaller than the opening in the base plate of the lamp body with which the assembly is to be used, and said coiled spring when unstressed being shorter than the distance between the base plate and the top wall 6 of the lamp body with which the assembly is to be used whereby said assembly may be mounted in a lamp body with which it is intended to be used by threading the coiled spring and plug cap through the top wall opening, the plug cap through the base plate opening and attaching the other end of the coiled spring to the base plate.

GEORGE E. BENANDER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 264,328 Morton Sept. 12, 1882 991,185 Weeks May 2, 1911 1,174,368 Walsh Mar. 7, 1916 1,305,308 Richter June 3, 1919 1,322,968 Smith Nov. 25, 1919 1,402,685 Timberlake Jan. 3, 1922 1,560,572 Hatton Nov. 10, 1925 1,903,683 Nute Apr. 11, 1933 2,429,553 Jasinski Oct. 21, 1947 

